Asia-Pacific shares mixed; BTS’ label soars in South Korean market debut
Stocks in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Thursday morning trade, as investors watched the market debut of K-pop superstars BTS’ label, Big Hit Entertainment.
Big Hit Entertainment’s IPO in South Korea opened at 270,000 Korean won (approx. $236) per share, according to Refinitiv Eikon. That’s double the stock’s issue price of 135,000 Korean won apiece. Shares later extended gains and were last trading more than 120% higher from their issue price.
Other South Korea entertainment firms stocks, however, saw declines: YG Entertainment fell 7.48%, JYP Entertainment slipped 6.54% and SM Entertainment shed 4.83%.
Reuters reported earlier this month that South Korean retail investors have bid over $50 billion — more than 600 times the value of shares on offer — to get their hands on Big Hit Entertainment shares. That came after Big Hit Entertainment in late September priced its stock at the top end of the range.
In the broader markets, South Korea’s Kospi also slipped 1.26%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 0.37% and the Topix index shed 0.25%.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged higher, with the S&P/ASX 200 gaining 0.72%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.14% lower.
Reference: CNBC
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